Sean Payton is clear that Broncos haven’t made staff decisions yet
Jan 9, 2024, 4:41 PM
The Denver Broncos held a series of press conferences on Tuesday, featuring Sean Payton, George Paton and Greg Penner.
The team’s head coach, general manager and CEO met with the media after an 8-9 season, and fielded a variety of questions.
Some of the most notable developments were the future of QB Russell Wilson and all the drama that went down surrounding his contract this year.
And while it’s unclear if Wilson will be back (they’re not shutting the door), Broncos Country is also wondering about the 2024 coaching staff.
Payton will certainly return, but what about everyone else who worked with him? Specifically, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi?
Payton wasn’t ready to talk about any potential staff changes just yet.
“The questions are good questions, but the carts ahead of the horse. We’ve got, shoot, the next two weeks here, I’ll be spending time with George, Greg, our coordinators. All of that stuff. We’ll look closely, just as we do our own roster, what we’re doing,” Payton said.
While Payton didn’t specifically say Joseph and Lombardi are safe, he did note he’ll spend time with them. That would seem to indicate they’re part of next season’s plans. Still, no firm commitments were made.
“Again, it’s too early today to even get into any discussion. And I know, having done this 16 years, a lot of time the response is measured. In other words, the question has to be asked, honestly we just haven’t started that process yet,” Payton said. “Our schedule is just starting now relative to those evaluations.”
Joseph’s defense had a brutal start to the season, with the lowlight being giving up a historic 70 points to the Dolphins. They had a nice resurgence during the team’s five-game winning streak, in which they created a plethora of turnovers.
Still, the Broncos defense finished 29th in the NFL, giving up 370.8 yards per game. The run defense was ranked 30th. Joseph had a nice turnaround, but by the end of the year, some fans wondered if he was back on the hot seat.
On offense, Denver finished 26th in the league, averaging 298.4 yards per game. Payton called the plays, so Lombardi received less attention that a traditional offensive coordinator.
We’ll see how it all shakes out, but given the fact it seems like Penner has given Payton full control, who moves forward on staff will likely be up to the head coach.
